A Helping Hand
by TheLonelyQuartet
Summary: Nightmares of his childhood wake Law up at night, and sometimes he wonders if it all isn't too much for him to handle. Luckily for Law, his new ally/friend has no intention of letting him suffer. SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 762
1. Chapter 1

_"Brother, let's go to the festival!"_

_"You see? There's no despair in this world, Law-kun. Someone will definitely lend you a helping hand."_

_"Law, let's go to the festival!"_

_"Ughhhhh…Brother, it _**_hurts_**_…"_

_**"MMMMOOOOTTHHHHHHEERRRRRR! FFFFFAAAAAATTTTTHHHHHHHHEEEERRRRRRRR!"**_

When Law woke up, it was with a scream still echoing throughout the room. He panted, tried to calm his breathing and tried to control his shaking limbs. It wasn't working too well, and Law bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed as the images continued to force themselves to the forefront of his mind.

It wasn't just the images however, it was the sound of the screams and the smell… oh god, the _smell… t_he smell of burning flesh -Lamy was still in there he could still get her out but it was so hot he couldn't reach her, not like this and oh god oh god oh god not his little sister anything but his little _sister_- the smell of _rotting_ flesh -he gagged as the pungent stench continued to waft up his nose without break and the bodies pressed up against him in all directions but he had to bare with it if he wanted to survive and he very badly wanted to survive even when he wanted to just end it and be with his family but he couldn't die, not just yet-

He clenched his fist and breathed in deeply, half expecting the smell of corpses to fill up his nostrils but there was only clean air and the smell of the sea to accompany him. Law was irritated. He couldn't afford to be thinking of this, not now, not when he was so close to his goal of finally bringing down Doflamingo for all that he'd done.

_…Damn it. _Law threw the covers off himself and started to pace around the room. It had been so long since he had relapsed and had a proper flashback of those horrible memories, and of sweet memories forever ruined by their horrible ending.

_"There's no despair in this world, someone will definitely lend you a helping hand." _God, what a joke that was. Sister had been naive in her thinking, and she had paid the price for her foolishness. Law was a pirate. He saw despair and suffering every day. Those who 'lent' a hand to others always had a second reasoning behind it. They wanted nothing but to help themselves in the end.

He looked outside to the moon and the moon shone back as pretty as ever. It shone pretty then too, illuminating the chaos and destruction and everything that could have gone wrong and did go wrong. He looked away, nausea rising up to his throat and a sudden dizziness overtaking his senses.

It was never going to end, was it? It was eternal suffering. That's what his life had been since he was a child. And even now, now that he was near his 30s, he was still suffering. It was only going to end when _he_ was dead. And in his heart, Law wasn't sure if _he _referred to Doflamingo…

…or Law himself.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Traffy! You're up too?" A loud voice suddenly interrupted his rapidly spiraling thoughts, and he jerked and his hand shot towards his nodachi, only to curse when he remembered he had _placed it on the other side of the room. _That was an amateur mistake, one that could possibly-

A pillow smacking him in the face stopped that train of thought as well. He blinked down at it, and properly focused his eyes on his 'attacker'. That was…

Luffy grinned back at him, eyes lit up with excitement at the fact that he could hang out with "the coolest person ever! (my friends are still cooler though)" a little while longer. He bounced over to Law and threw his arms around him and began to chatter away about something but whatever it was he hadn't a clue, as Law had tensed up the moment the arms had touched him. After dreaming about the pile of corpses he was forced to hide in, he wasn't feeling all that comfortable with bodily contact.

Before he could actually say anything, however, Luffy stepped back him (having realised Law was uncomfortable), grin having shrunk to a smile but there was still the same amount of warmth emanating, the same _acceptance _shining through his features and suddenly, Law couldn't bare to look at that smiling face for a second longer, not after what he had just relived.

"…what is it, Straw Hat-ya? I thought I told you to go to sleep so you would be in prime fighting condition for tomorrow," Law stated as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. Luffy only gave him a look in response.

"You're awake too Traffy! Nishishi, you're so funny sometimes," Luffy laughed at him. Law sighed.

"Is there anything you need, Straw Hat-ya? If not, I will ask you to leave the room."

Luffy pouted at that.

"How rude! I was worried about you, that's all!" Law blinked.

_…worried?_

"Why would you be-" and Law suddenly remembered the scream that had been echoing his room and it was as though ice had suddenly spread throughout his insides. Straw Hat-ya had heard the screams then, he was going to think he was weak. And after the incidents at Punk Hazard, Law couldn't afford to look any weaker than he already had in front of the Straw Hat Crew. They might appear friendly, but their captain moved at his own pace and one could never know when an allied crew would grow tired of implementing a plan not created by the-

Another pillow was thrown at his face. Now annoyed, Law managed to bat this pillow away in time and narrowed his eyes at the once-again grinning captain.

"You know Traffy," began Luffy and despite himself Law began to listen. "It's okay to say when you're scared, or if you wanna cry something like that. I won't make you feel bad about it. Why would I? You helped me after…after Ace, not only that but you saved Jinbe too! And you're really smart and really brave, so if you're afraid then it has to be something _reallllyyyy _bad! But I'll protect you! You've been protecting me for so long and you helped to protect the kids at Punk Hazard too! AND you and Smokey fought together so now you're friends! And a friend of Smokey is a friend of mine too! Me and my crew are here because we want to help you Traffy, because you're our friend! And we're allies too! How cool is that!? That's why we wanna help. Because we're friends, aren't we? We're definitely gonna lend you a hand! …Hm? Traffy, you started crying again, are you alright?"

_"There's no despair in this world, s__omeone will definitely lend you a helping hand.__" _Law gingerly felt his face and sure enough, there was moisture trailing down his cheeks. Abruptly he turned away from Luffy and faced a wall, hands covering his face in shame. Why was he…

He was tugged back towards Luffy and his hands were forced from his face. Luffy peered into his eyes, and suddenly hugged him again, burying his face into his chest (for that was the only height he could reach).

"You're so silly Traffy," the words were slightly muffled but Law could hear them clear as anything, "we're friends, right? You don't need to hide from me!"

Friends, huh? Law was still for a moment, a wave of memories threating to come back but this time all he could focus on was the heat of Luffy's body and the words that still echoed in his head, of Luffy's little speech and he was sure the other pirate had no idea what those words meant to him.

There was still so much that troubled him, and there was so much to be done. After Doflamingo was Kaidou, yet not only had Luffy accepted the possibility he had even raised the stakes. Law was certain that pirates worked only for themselves, yet as he wrapped his own arms around Luffy and held him just as tightly, it was enough to make him doubt even his own philosophies that he had held for over a decade.

It wasn't much. It was one little speech, two hugs and a couple of pillows thrown at his face. Yet, even with the absence of his crew, Law had the irrational thought that it might just be enough to save him.

"…hey Straw Hat-ya?" Law asked, and Luffy made a little noise of curiousity.

"After this is all over," _and assuming I haven't been killed,_ "would you…would you like to go to a festival with me?"

The smile directed at him could have powered the sun.


End file.
